


If I’m a Little Darling, Why Won’t They Come and See?

by Winter Hat (Fedora)



Series: Monster Babies [2]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Children, Gen, bad research methodology, child avatars of eldritch fear gods, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2020-10-11 11:34:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20545475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fedora/pseuds/Winter%20Hat
Summary: It's bedtime for tiny Archivists at the Leitner Institute, but first Jon needs to know where Elias is.





	If I’m a Little Darling, Why Won’t They Come and See?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for the positive response to the rest of this series! It's been very encouraging.

Jurgen Leitner was not a scientist. He wasn’t a medical doctor, a psychologist, or a child care specialist. He was a man with more curiosity than sense and a trustworthy face able to convince gullible parents to hand over their “problem” children. He was a man with enough money to have assistants with weak minds or morals who would conduct experiments on children. 

This led to a methodology that had the part of Elias which valued pure information and unblemished results seething. On the other hand, this had Elias and the Archivist installed in the nursery of Leitner’s own home and not in some sunless bunker out of a comic book. And that meant Elias was allowed to make his own way back to his rooms unescorted. The lack of people was a blessing to the pounding behind his eyes.

The nursery lights were out. The last test of the day had been to Show the time to one of Leitner’s assistants. Elias had been tired after the long day and may have Shown a little too much, put a little too much of his own frustration into the experiment. Miranda Parks had punched two of her fellow researchers and screamed about how she wasn’t even being paid overtime for this. The screaming hadn’t helped his migraine, but he had been able to slip away in the confusion while they tried to subdue Ms Parks and reset Donald Lee’s nose. At least the rest of the house was quiet, and Jon should already be in bed for the night.

He shuffled into the playroom. There was enough light from the large windows to see without turning on a light that could possibly wake up a clingy Archivist. But it was dark enough that he didn’t see the blanket covered lump in the middle of the floor until he almost stepped on it, and he twisted as he fell so that he landed on his right hip rather than on top of the blanket. Elias didn’t swear; he was very proud of that, and relieved as Jonathan pushed back the blanket, yawned, and rubbed his eyes.

“Elias! You came back!” Jon stood with his blanket over his shoulders in an impromptu cape; he clutched the white stuffed owl he refused to call Hedwig to his chest.

Elias raised one eyebrow. Jon did not appreciate the effort, but Elias felt his point had been made. “Of course I did. Why wouldn’t I?”

“They took you for tests… they took mama for tests.”

Jon had crept closer and at that Elis drew him into a tight hug. Jon sighed as he melted into the hug; the owl was trapped between them and Jon’s small arms wrapped around his neck. This was the third home this baby had been sent to in the last six months.

“‘M not a baby.” Jon pulled back to hold up three fingers. “‘M three.”

“My mistake. Please forgive me.” Elias inclined his head to the Archivist, who accepted his apology with great dignity. Then Jon yawned.

“Cover your mouth when you yawn.” Jon yawned again, stuffing his fist in front of his mouth. “Right then. Back to bed.”

“No!” Jon whined and clung to Elias’s neck. “I want to stay with you!”

Elias nearly overbalanced, but managed to stand without dropping the Archivist. “You need to sleep.”

“No. What if you have to go? What if I do not know? What if I do not get another?”

“Another what?”

“Another brother. You only get one mama and one grandmother. What about a brother?”

“What?”

Jon pulled back to look at Elias, like he was the one being slow and incomprehensible. “I am a Eye…”

“An Eye.” Elias corrected.

“An Eye. And you are  **an** Eye. So you are my brother.” Like that was all it took. No adults, no parents, no expectations. Just absolute certainty. The assurance of a small creature whose whole reason for being was to know things. 

“Oh.” Elias said while Jon stared at him intently. “I suppose you’d best sleep with me tonight then.”

Jon went limp with relief, and Elias held him a little tighter as they went into his room. The blanket cape was left behind on the floor.


End file.
